Chapter 197 Mother is determined to arrange a marriage for Luo'er!

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, people worship the God of Wealth.

Li Qinglu got up early and hurried to the shrine of the God of Wealth to burn incense and pray sincerely.

After she finished practicing her sword and went back to her room to write a piece of calligraphy, Cui'er and Que'er pressed her down in front of the dressing table.

"Miss, you're going to the palace with the master, mistress, and old lady today, so we need to get ready quickly!"

Li Qingluo picked up a silk flower and played with it: "What's the rush? There's still plenty of time."

Que'er immediately looked nervous: "It's getting late. My grandmother just said that we have to go to the palace gate early to queue up, or we'll get scolded by the palace staff if we're late."

"Also, these silk flowers were made for you by the craftsmen at the old lady's request, and since you have a strong hand, please don't break them."

Cui'er: "That's right, Miss. You bent the petals of a silk flower yesterday. It took me a lot of effort to fix it. If you ruin another one, and the old lady asks why you're not wearing any silk flowers today, we servants will be in trouble."

Li Qinglu awkwardly put the silk flowers down.

"Is it really impossible not to wear this?"

Que'er: "Of course not. The old lady repeatedly instructed me to dress you up beautifully today, to be even more delicate and beautiful than a lotus emerging from the water! Of course, the main focus should be on being dignified and elegant!"

"Naturally, we can't forget this item, which is currently the most popular in Jinling City."

"Miss, don't be nervous. You are the eldest daughter of our General's Mansion, and this is your first time going to the palace. We can't afford to lose."

Li Qinglu sighed inwardly.

She knew what her grandmother was thinking; she was probably worried about her marriage again and wanted to take advantage of the day to find her some suitable husbands who were also going to the palace.

This is indeed a good opportunity.

Fine, as long as Grandmother is happy, what's wrong with letting her keep busy?

Anyway, her grandmother wouldn't just arrange a marriage for her without asking her opinion.

Watching Que'er hold up each hairpin to her head, Li Qingluo calmed down.

There was also a small mountain of jewelry boxes and fabrics piled up beside him, all of which were sent by the Qu family in recent days.

Although Li Qingluo accepted them all, they were of no use to her.

She was just wondering why the Qu family had become increasingly proactive towards her lately.

Especially on the second day of the Lunar New Year, when she returned from the Qu family, she brought a whole carload of things to Li Qingluo.

The items were dazzling and numerous, and must have all been brought back from the Qu family.

Why is the Qu family suddenly being so friendly to me?

Li Qinglu had a gut feeling that something was amiss, and she became more vigilant.

Soon, Li Qingluo found out what the Qu family was up to.

"Luo'er, why aren't you paying your respects to your great-aunt?"

The Qu family has two branches.

The current Minister of Revenue, Lord Qu, is Qu's maternal uncle and the head of the Qu family.

The Qu family originated from the second branch of the Qu family. Qu's father is still only a minor civil official of the fourth rank. Therefore, all the glory of the Qu family and even the Qu family itself comes from the eldest branch of the same lineage.

Madam Qu, the second wife's maternal grandmother, was not qualified or of the status to attend today's palace banquet. Therefore, the maternal great-aunt whom Madam Qu had Li Qingluo pay her respects to was none other than Madam He, the wife of the Minister of Revenue, Lord Qu.

Right at the palace gate, the men and women on both sides had just separated when the two families coincidentally bumped into each other.

Since it wasn't their turn to enter the palace yet, the women from both families disembarked from their carriages and met.

After the elders exchanged greetings, Madam Qu, slightly excited, pushed Li Qingluo forward.

At Madam Pei's prompting, Li Qingluo respectfully greeted Madam He.

"Luo'er greets her maternal grandmother."

Old Madam He was carefully examining Li Qingluo with a kind expression when suddenly a clear, melodious voice called out from ahead: "Grandmother—"

Madam He's face instantly lit up with a smile: "It's Xun-ge'er!"

Li Qingluo quickly retreated, and by the time the young man got off the carriage, she had returned to Madam Pei's side and lowered her head slightly.

The young man seemed to have just arrived in a hurry.

As he stepped down from the carriage, Madam Pei glanced at him casually.

After Xun Ge'er greeted the elders with grace and poise, his gaze naturally fell on Li Qingluo: "Could this be my cousin Luo'er, whom I've never met before?"

The only women the eldest branch of the Qu family brought today were Old Madam He and her two legitimate granddaughters.

The Li family's side was also simple, consisting of Old Madam Pei, Madam Qu, and Li Qingluo.

So it wasn't difficult for Xun to recognize Li Qingluo at a glance.

Moreover, she is just too outstanding!

Among the women who came down to rest, she was the most eye-catching, radiant, and stunning!

Even with only half her face visible, she was already stunningly beautiful, captivating all who beheld her.

Moreover, her outstanding figure made Xun Ge'er very satisfied.

Xun-ge stared at Li Qingluo without daring to look at her for long, and looked at his grandmother with a slightly red face.

Madam He smiled and said, "This is our eldest son's second son, also known as the fourth son of the family, Xun'er. Xun'er, that is indeed Luo'er. Why don't you go up and say hello?"

Qu Daoxun stepped forward and bowed to Li Qingluo, saying, "I am Qu Daoxun, and I greet my cousin Luo'er. Why didn't I see my cousin Luo'er come home on the second day of the month?"

"That day, all the brothers and sisters in the family were really looking forward to seeing their cousin Luo'er."

Madam Pei was already quite unhappy: "That day, the sun was with me, and I didn't have much free time."

“Brother Qu Jiaxun, if you don’t hurry to the palace gate to meet your grandfather, I’m afraid you won’t be able to enter the palace today.”

Qu Daoxun hurriedly said goodbye, then glanced at Li Qingluo again before getting back into the carriage and heading towards the palace gate.

Madam Pei seemed to have figured something out. She nodded coldly to Madam He, then turned and led Li Qingluo into the carriage.

Li Qingluo didn't say another word from beginning to end, so when Madam Qu came up, her face was very ugly.

"Luo'er, your cousin spoke to you so politely, why did you ignore him? That's incredibly rude and ill-mannered!"

Madam Pei: "Then what would it take for her to be considered polite and well-mannered?"

"Going to great lengths to curry favor with your Qu family, shamelessly chatting and laughing with men outside the palace gates—that's considered polite and well-mannered?!"

"Mr. Qu, don't think I don't know what you're up to!"

"You were so eager to push Luo'er towards your aunt today, and by such a coincidence, Xun-ge'er arrived late and saw Luo'er briefly. His eyes darted back and forth over Luo'er several times. What exactly are you trying to do?!"

"Hurry up and tell me clearly!"

Madam Qu's face flushed red and then turned pale. Her eyes were far too sharp and ruthless!

Xun-ge'er only glanced at Luo-er a few times, and she already noticed.

Madam Qu didn't dare to say it outright. She originally wanted the Qu family to see Luo'er and be satisfied, and only after they were truly interested would she have Li Chaojing personally ask the old lady for instructions.

Xun-ge'er is the direct grandson of his uncle, the Minister of Revenue!

It's her own family, and the fact that the Li family is still willing to arrange this marriage is already an excellent match. She thinks her mother-in-law will definitely agree.

But it seems that his mother and mother-in-law don't think much of Xun-ge'er.

Madam Qu replied guiltily, "Mother, you've misunderstood. Your daughter-in-law just wanted Luo'er to get closer to my family... She hasn't been back to the Qu family with your daughter-in-law since she returned to Jinling..."

Seeing that she refused to speak, Old Madam Pei snorted coldly: "I don't care what you're thinking, just don't try to take advantage of my Luo'er!"

"I'll say it again, I will handle Luo'er's marriage and future myself. Don't interfere!"

Madam Pei has made it so clear.

Ms. Qu's face turned pale.

So you just don't want her to interfere anymore?

Are you really going to abandon this marriage with the Qu family?

"Mother, I am still Luo'er's mother. How could my plans for her possibly harm her?"

Madam Pei reached out and struck Qu's hair bun.

"Fool! You're both poisonous and stupid! That Xun-ge'er isn't even as tall as Que'er, and he barely reaches Luo'er's ear! You've actually set your sights on such a worthless thing for your daughter?"

"I'm being lenient by not saying anything, yet you still won't give up! You want Luo'er to marry off any of these cripples? Only if I'm dead!!"

Not wanting her grandmother to be too angry, Li Qingluo quickly patted her chest and said, "Grandmother, please don't be angry. With your help, I won't be married off to any random person."

The blow that Old Madam Pei delivered earlier had knocked Qu's hair out of place.

She felt deeply humiliated, and upon hearing Li Qingluo say that again, she glared fiercely at Li Qingluo.

"You actually look down on Xun-ge? Don't you even know who you are!"

“Xun-ge’er is, after all, my uncle’s own grandson. His elder brother has now entered the Ministry of Revenue, and he himself is about to participate in the imperial examination. If he passes with flying colors, his future will be immeasurable!”

"You won't have the chance to climb the social ladder by then!"

"Besides, so what if he's a little short? There are plenty of good girls in Jinling who want to marry him! It's your good fortune that their eldest son's family is willing to value you!"

Li Qingluo: "Then why didn't you marry your Zhu'er to him in the first place?!"

Without a second thought, Madam Qu replied, "Zhu'er has her own destiny!"

When she met Li Qingluo's mocking gaze, Madam Qu was startled.

Then she immediately regretted it: "I... Luo'er, why are you still bringing her up? She is now a favored concubine of Prince Yun's mansion and has nothing to do with our General's mansion anymore. What I'm worried about is your future..."

Li Qingluo: "You have so much free time to worry about my affairs, why don't you worry about yourself first! What kind of wicked things did your mother and Liu Qingzhu's biological grandmother do back then? That's why Zhao stole your own child. Sixteen years later, you clearly know the truth, but you don't dare to pursue it?"

"That day, during the standoff at the General's Mansion, what was it about her that intimidated Mother so much that she didn't even dare to show the demeanor of a matriarch standing up for her daughter?!"

Li Qingluo's few words terrified Qu Shi, who broke out in a cold sweat.

"You—! What do you know?"